Qatar specifically, has no laws against human trafficking, which has made cracking down on the practice nearly impossible. “Qatar is a transit and destination country for men and women subjected to trafficking in persons, specifically forced labor and, to a much lesser extent, forced prostitution,” the US State Department stated in a recent report.

This is not so. In October 2011:

People implicated in human trafficking in Qatar will face 15 years in prison and a QR300,000 ($82,368) fine under a new anti-human trafficking law. The law passed on Monday brings under its purview forced labour, forcing women into prostitution, sexual exploitation, child abuse – including misuse of children for pornographic purposes and forcing them to beg-, kidnapping and taking someone from a foreign country into Qatar promising him or her money for the purpose of exploitation and enslaving someone.

The Qatar Foundation is offering seminar’s in how to avoid and cut out human trafficking. Change is coming.

Back to Identity magazine:

One man named only as Paul claims he was offered a job at an airline and then when in Qatar raped. He says “some even inserted hands and objects into my anus”.

It’s a scare story that needs more work to ring true. But one thing is certain: you will read more and more about life in Qatar as we approach the Fifa World cup 2022. All eyes will be on Qatar. Sepp Blatter, the Fifa supremo who said gay men watching the football should abstain from having sex may actually do more good than harm. Under the spotlight, Qatar may be horribly exposed. For unenlightened, institutionally racist and bigoted Qatar , the World Cup could be a curse in disguise…